Reading as a

Physiological Process
Lesson 1
Reading as a Physiological Process
• Known facts about reading:
• 1. Reading is both an organic or physiological process and a
mental or cognitive process. However, these two processes overlap
since the mind controls all human activities. Thus, some reading
experts describe reading to be neuro-physiological in nature.
• 2. In the physiological process, the most basic step is for the eyes
to see, identify, and recognize the printed word or images
(illustration, diagram, picture).
• 3. The light patterns from the printed symbols hit the foveal areas
or closely related cells from the retina.
• 4. In turn, this induces chemical changes that create patterns of
nerve currents into the optic nerve fiber.
• 5. These currents travel to a center in the mid-brain.
• 6. The stage of reading revolves around the ability to
identify and recognize words which are the smallest unit
of visual identification and meaningful recognition. But
the act of reading does not take place if the letters are
perceived in isolation.
• 7. Using the currents that travel to the mid-brain, the
cerebral cortex interprets the symbols (with the help of
traces of the memory’s store of past experiences, also by
associations that enable the reader to perceive the meaning
of the word).
• 8. Studies show eye movement in reading with the eye
perceiving and pausing on the printed material
horizontally from left to right and top-to-bottom (for the
Westerner) or right to left (for the Arabic speaker) and
right to left and bottom-to-top (for Asians such as the
Chinese)
• 9. Scientific experiments have also shown that there are several eye
movements:
• a. Fixation or the eyes stopping or getting fixated on the word or words. The
duration of fixation is the length of time the eyes has to pause. Most readers
take four eye pauses per second, while poor readers need more time to pause
in order to see with accuracy.
• b. inter-fixation or the eyes moving from stopping point to the
other (horizontally from left to right, up coming down under)
• c. return sweeps with the eyes swinging back from the end line to
the beginning of the next line
• d. short quick hop and jump movements called saccades, done
especially by literate people, to move ahead on a line of print.
• E. regressions or backward right-to-left movement in case there is a need
to double check what is being read.
• F. Span of recognition or the eyes’ recognition of a group of words. It is
believed that readers can add to their reading ability by widening the span of
recognition by means of chunking of phrases, a focus on the total word
pattern. As the span widens, fixation decreases resulting in increased speed
in reading.
ESSAY QUESTION
• Recall the time when you were a child learning to read. Describe your
experience when you were still learning to read and later finally gained
fluency. What helped you become proficient in reading?
• (content – 10 points, language use and vocabulary- 6 points, mechanics – 4
points)
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